When you have kids it seems like nothing is sacred, nothing goes untouched. I love my kids with all my heart but I can’t even go to the bathroom in peace……. and yes even my cat finds me.
Dinner time without phones is another example. It’s a battle.
Do we even know what the term sacred means today? If WE don’t, how do we expect are kids to? Your thinking about the sacred cow right now aren’t you? Lol.
If we do understand the meaning of sacred then the question becomes… does it hold any weight or value in our lives?
The definition of sacred means to regard something with reverence. To cherish, to hallow, to consecrate, to protect, to defend.
So what DO we protect and defend with all of our might, fiercely and undeniably?
There are many examples but SPORTS is a big sacred cow. We will shuffle everything around sports whether it be playing or watching a game. In fact I see so many people in our society whose lives revolve around their kid’s sports. It’s non-stop and everything grinds to halt for practices and games. Plans are broken or re-scheduled all to the dedication of this sacred cow.
I love golf and we encourage our kids to pick a sport to play. My son enjoys basketball and my daughters love gymnastics and dance.
I’m deeply inspired by the fact that my daughter will set her mind on something and do it. She didn’t have much experience in cheer or volleyball but guess what, she tried out for both high school teams and made it!! We are so proud of her!
As with all coaches, she is expected to attend every practice, every fund raiser, and every game no matter what the cost! She recently told her coach she couldn’t attend a team event because we had a family wedding to attend. They were merciless and punished her for it. I get consistency and building a team but really? It’s not like she’s missing the event so she can get her nails done.
This is where the two worlds collide and the fight begins, where society doesn’t respect the sacredness of faith and family.
So the question for all of us is: Will we be the ones to draw the line in the sand for what we deem sacred?
My husband and I have grown up in the Christian faith. In the past five years we’ve done a lot of research and digging into the Word. During this time we’ve realized Sabbath has NOT been done away with, that it applies to His people (all of them) and that men (not God) changed it from the seventh day to the first day of the week. With that being said, our family honors and keeps the Sabbath the way God commanded in the Bible. It is the seventh day set apart by God for us. We are to keep it Holy….sacred, set apart. It is a sign between God and His people. Six days we work, we labor, we pursue but on the seventh day we stop. Everything comes to a grinding halt. It is a day of rest as well as a day of washing ourselves completely in His Word. To soak in His presence, to lift His Holy name. It was designed to be a gift not a burden.
So why did God command us to keep Sabbath?
He is omniscient. He saw what society would become, non-stop. Go go go. A place where cities never sleep. It’s never enough. He saw the enemy beating us down, distracting us, trying to break us away from our faith in God and each other. Sabbath was designed so that we would completely detach ourselves from this Babylonian society, from the technology that distracts and desensitizes. Sabbath is a fence, our hedge of protection allowing us to fill our cup.
He wants us to be renewed physically and spiritually. You can’t do that when you are always connected to the world’s hustle and bustle.
He also uses Sabbath to teach us to obey and trust. He will meet our needs.
For us, Sabbath is where everything grinds to a halt. We choose to draw the line in the sand. We’ve made it a point to make sure that almost nothing distracts our attention from the intended purpose of this day. We always need to ask ourselves if we are using this time for our own selfish pursuits. If we are, then it is no longer sacred, set apart, holy.
In a day and age where society doesn’t acknowledge God or His commandments, Sabbath has become a true test of faith. It requires discipline to go against the grain. And yes that means we give up the sacred cow of sports when it conflicts with Sabbath. It’s been a challenge and it will continue to be a battle but we see the beauty, blessing, freedom and strength in keeping the Sabbath holy. It has brought us closer to God and to each other. After five years of keeping Sabbath it has become our refuge in this crazy world. We look forward to our rest and recovery. God and my family are the most important things to me and I will protect my time with both fiercely.
God’s day is holy, let us keep it sacred with all of our heart, soul and might.
It’s time to lift the veil!
LIFTING THE VEIL 